Kim Stoveld Represents Philly in the Classic's Return

I moved to Philadelphia in 2013, so I was able to experience this race as a spectator on Lemon Hill for a few years before the race was put on hold. The Philadelphia Cycling Classic is in my literal backyard with 1000s of my friends. I live a few blocks from the start line and work at a hospital a mile away. I drink beers at the deli down the street after every Tuesday ride and I ride part of this course nearly every day. I am so fortunate and grateful that I can experience this race as a racer and I can’t wait to be celebrating this day with my community.
- Kim Stoveld

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns on August 30, 2026, inviting the highest level of professional athletes from around the world to compete for $150,000 across men's and women's races. From 1985 to 2016, the Classic attracted athletes as prominent as Greg LeMond (3x Tour de France winner) and Lance Armstrong, who won in Philadelphia in 1993, six years before his first* of seven* Tour de France wins¹.

Out of 250 of the world's most elite cyclists, Kim Stoveld is the only current Philadelphia cyclist competing in this year's Classic. After finishing 100-kilometers of racing, Kim plans on standing atop the podium and taking the $15,000 first-place prize to the bank.

Kim began racing road bikes in 2021, winning four of six races that year. She carried that momentum into 2022, like a sprinter breaking out from a peloton, winning eight of 32 races across the Mid-Atlantic. By summer's end, she'd earned enough upgrade points to secure a spot on the Automatic Racing team, who she loves for a shared culture she describes as gritty, confident, gracious, and loyal. Kim has since forged a formidable reputation by dominating fields in criterium, time trial, and stage races at the Category 1 level across the country.

Kim: I am most proud of my win at the Historic Downer Ave as a part of the Tour of America’s Dairyland in 2024, my win at Harlem Skyscraper Classic in 2025 (in which we have had 4 separate teammates win this race!), my two wins while competing in Belgium in 2024 - Aarschot and Balegem, and the GC winner at the Tucson Bicycle Classic earlier this year.

For Kim, a registered nurse originally from Raleigh, NC, racing is a family affair. She's grateful and considers herself fortunate for the opportunity to train, travel, and race with her husband, John Stoveld.

Despite all this, Kim considered retiring from racing after this season. But she knew she had to stick around when Carlos Rogers, a Philly native who competed in the '94 Classic and has organized the Historic Riverton Criterium since 2011, revived the beloved Classic for 2026.

From 1985 to 1993, only men could race in the Classic. In 1994, after already shattering the gender barrier by becoming the first woman to own and direct a men's professional cycling team, Robin Morton directed the Classic's first women's race. The addition of a women's field helped boost the careers of many athletes, and its impact continues to resonate today. Among its greatest champions was Olympic medal winner Petra Rossner, who won the Classic seven times between 1996 and 2004.

With the Classic's return on the horizon, Kim started reaching out to Robin, who returns as race director in 2026. She cultivated a relationship with Morton, keeping her updated on Automatic Racing's accomplishments. Kim's advocacy, combined with her strength on the bike, helped secure her team a spot in this world-renowned race.

Kim attributes her success in cycling to strength and fitness fueled through competitive swimming. Training in the pool at high volumes with intense efforts simply translated well on the bike. She mixed the two sports by competing in triathlon and dabbled with endurance cycling in events like Crush the Commonwealth and Unbound in 2021. But racing in the Classic will be her biggest platform yet.

Kim: One of the best things about pro cycling is how close the fans get to be to the athletes. The Philadelphia Classic is a great way for Philadelphians to experience being up close and personal to some of the top cyclists in the world.

Like the final stage of the Tour de France, where competitors sweep around the Champs-Élysées and battle up Montmarte's punishing slopes, cyclists in the Classic will whirl around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and churn for glory on the Manayunk Wall. Standing in for the Seine is the Schuylkill River. For Parc Monceau, Lemon Hill. The half mile-long, 17-percent grade of Levering Street and Lyceum Avenue is the ultimate trial of strength and will. The drama in Manayunk will be electrifying, and Kim predicts the race's winner will be decided there.

Outside of racing, Kim can be found commuting to work on her single-speed State and co-leading weekly Roulette group rides with local legend Dillon Mast. Roulette is one of a variety of weekly rides hosted by Team Musette, a club that organizes public road rides at various levels. Roulette, notoriously the toughest, is named for its ever-changing routes which have never been repeated.

Kim, to put it simply, is a fucking powerhouse.

A leader in Philadelphia's road cycling scene, Kim is a beacon in a male-dominated sport and loves to be a part of the thriving community of competitive women cyclists in Philadelphia. Her representation at the highest level of cycling illustrates what's possible on bike, inspires others to compete, and legitimizes women's presence in group rides of all disciplines. Kim admires the various clubs drawing women to competitive cycling and hopes that more of these cyclists will continue to race and upgrade to Cat 2 and Cat 1.

Whether or not Kim finishes first at the Classic on August 30, as far as I'm concerned, she's a champion.

Cheer Kim on along the 14.4-mile racecourse! She’ll be in the orange Automatic Racing jersey alongside teammates Ivanie Blondin (Calgary, Alberta), Farah-Dale Morris (Charles City, VA), Jenna Nestman (Edmonton, Alberta), Emily Singleton (New York City, NY) and Arielle Verhaaren (Salt Lake City, UT), as well as team manager Lauren Dodge and coach Tom Gibbons.

The women's race starts at 8:30am and finishes at 11:30am on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The awards ceremony will follow at 1:00pm at the Finish Line. Race-day info can be found here.

Kim: After the race the Philadelphia cycling community is welcome to hangout with our team near Lemon Hill to celebrate and cheer during the men's race.

There is $75,000 on the line in both men’s and women’s races. $65,000 will be split among each race’s top 25, with $15,000 for first, $10,000 for second, $7,000 for third, and so on. An additional $5,500 bounty is up for grabs for both the King and Queen of the Mountain, and $4,500 will be awarded to first place in each race’s sprint competition. Cash prizes are available to second and third place in the KOM/QOM and sprint competitions also.

¹ Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France wins (1999-2005) were stripped by the UCI and he received a lifetime ban from all sports. This author finds Armstrong's conduct disgraceful but acknowledges his exceptional level of prominence.